Efficiencies Achieved Through Use of Technology

(Resulting in service enhancements or labor/cost savings)

• Online applications/submittals/payments – Numerous eGov initiatives have allowed the City to accept applications, submittals and payments online, requiring less staff involvement at the earliest stages and enhancing customer service by allowing transactions to be completed without coming into a City facility. Online applications, submittals and payments now accepted by the City include the following:
• Blight complaints
• Traffic fine payment
• Recreation class enrollment
• Job applications
• Utility bill payment
• Police property check requests
• Online requests for bids and proposals
• Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems – IVR systems allow utility billing customers to get information on their accounts and allow contractors to schedule inspections and hear inspection results at any time without speaking to a customer service representative. Both City departments utilizing IVR (Utility Billing and Development Services) have observed reduced volume in regular office calls since implementation. For example, in June 2008, 18% of calls to Utility Billing selected an automated option (something other than speaking with an operator), and 37% of calls were received outside of business hours.  Overall, Utility Billing has seen an 8% decrease in calls that reach customer service reps, though they still experience around 300 abandoned calls per month, suggesting that wait time is still unacceptable to some callers.  Through May 12 this year, 57% of the building inspections were scheduled using IVR, and 81% of building inspection results were delivered via IVR.
• Server Consolidation and VMWare – Current technologies, including VMWare, are allowing the consolidation and more efficient use of servers by utilizing hardware resources that in the past would have been idle most of the time. This will reduce the number of servers needed to support City operations as well as the time and expense of maintaining as many software licenses. As outlined in a separate memo from Interim Information Systems Director Jim Wisdom, energy cost reductions are also estimated as a result of these technology enhancements.
• City Commission Room technology upgrades – The installation of thin client computer equipment in the City Commission room has allowed for more City boards to utilize electronic agenda packets. Since the beginning of the year the Planning Commission, Historic Resources Commission and Traffic Safety Commission have moved from paper to electronic agenda packets, reducing the staff time and other resources needed to produce paper packets. The online packets also increase public access to information, facilitating faster and easier sharing of information between City staff and the public.
• Fiber optic conduit project – The City owns eight miles of fiber optic conduit through which a number of City facilities will eventually be connected to other City facilities via fiber optic cable. This will increase the connectivity speed at those locations, eliminate monthly data connection fees and eliminate the need for IS staff to travel to these locations for most technology installs and updates.  
• Automation through databases – A number of databases have been developed in-house by staff to automate daily duties, including the Utilities Department Management System Orders program, the VEGI database for automating data entry for purchases made on City credit cards, and the Statement Inquiries Database for verifying payment status of invoices and more effective communication between Finance and other departments.
• Utilities SCADA Systems – Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems monitor and control treatment processes and data collection, allowing for automation of processes and more accurate data collection. SCADA systems are fully functional at the wastewater treatment plant, currently being implemented at the Clinton Plant, and plans are under development for implementation at the Kaw Plant. We are keeping the cost of implementation down by managing it in-house rather than using outside contractors.
• Consolidation of cellular services – Information Systems, rather than individual departments, is gradually assuming oversight of purchasing and account management for cell phones and wireless devices, creating savings through the consolidation of accounts and minutes.
• Local Web Servers – The installation of local web servers eliminated the need to outsource the City’s web hosting, and the associated monthly fees.
• Remote Access Tools - Remote access tools enable "anywhere access" to information and services, saving mileage/manpower for some job functions. Remote access tools in use include:
• Virtual Private Network (VPN) – using an existing internet connection to allow secure access into the network from anywhere.
• Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) – allows remote control of a person’s desktop from a secondary location.
• Terminal Services – have enabled heavy network applications to be run remotely over slow network connections, saving workers (most notably in Parks/Rec and Fire/Medical) many hours of waiting for their software.
• Remote Administration tools – allowing IS Department staff to remotely assist users without having to travel to other City facilities in many cases.
• Green IT Initiative – Goals of this Information Systems Department plan include reductions to IT related power consumption, reduction of printed pages, reduction of e-waste through increased life spans of equipment, and implementation of IT infrastructure that will allow remote networking, thus reducing commutes. When considering the full lifecycle of all the IT related hardware, these initiatives can be met without any additional costs to the city, and in many cases will produce substantial savings.